MTG EXTENDS EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO THE ICE HOCKEY IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE
Modern Times Group MTG AB, the international entertainment-broadcasting group, today announced that Viasat Broadcasting has prolonged its exclusive live broadcasting rights to the IIHF World Championship until 2011. The IIHF World Championship in ice hockey will be aired on Viasat´s free-to-air and pay channels in Scandinavia and the Baltic region. Viasat already holds the exclusive rights to the IIHF World Championship until 2007.
In addition, Viasat has also acquired the rights to live broadcast coverage of the ice hockey IIHF World Championship for additional new media distribution platforms with effect from 2007 and until 2011. The rights granted are in the category of Internet, IPTV and Mobile Telephony. The transmission to mobile phones/handsets is possible over telecommunications networks (e.g. UMTS) and over digital mobile broadcast systems employing DVB-H transmission standards. The IIHF World Championship in ice hockey is one of the most popular sports events among TV viewers in the Nordic region and Viasat has provided viewers with exclusive coverage from the Championships since 1989. Subscribers to the Viasat digital satellite premium pay-TV platform in both Scandinavia and the Baltics will be able to watch live coverage of the event, and the games will be broadcast on TV3, TV3+ and on additional Viasat channels. The coverage of the IIHF World Championship will, as always, feature player profiles, interviews and extensive in-depth coverage for ice hockey enthusiasts. Hans-Holger Albrecht, President and CEO of MTG, commented: "We are delighted that we have successfully prolonged the exclusive rights to one of the most popular events amongst our viewers. The Ice Hockey World Championship has, over the years, been a consistent rating winner across our broadcasting territories. This deal follows earlier signed sports rights agreements such as the exclusive deals with the UEFA Champions League and Formula 1, demonstrating our commitment to provide viewers with the best sports entertainment available.” For further information, please visit www.mtg.se, email info@mtg.se, or contact: Hans-Holger Albrecht, President and CEO tel. +46 (0) 8 562 000 50 Matthew Hooper, Corporate Communications tel: +44 (0) 20 7321 5010 Modern Times Group is an international entertainment-broadcasting group with operations in more than 30 countries around the world. MTG is the largest Free-to-air and Pay-TV operator in Scandinavia and the Baltics, the largest shareholder in Russia´s fourth largest television network, and the number one commercial radio operator in the Nordic region. The Viasat DTH satellite TV platform offers digital multi-channel TV packages of 50 own-produced and third party entertainment channels to viewers in 21 countries across Europe and Viasat TV channels now reach over 80 million people every day. Modern Times Group MTG AB class A and B shares are listed on the Stockholmsbörsen O-list under the symbols ‘MTGA’ and ‘MTGB’.